Determination of Some Physical-mechanical and Thermal Properties of Fuel Briquettes Produced from Agricultural Wastes of Tomato Post-Harvest

Renewable energy sources are among the energy resources that should be prioritized because they are both an environmentally friendly power source and produce low-emission energy. In this study, agricultural wastes generated as a result of tomato cultivation in our country were evaluated and briquettes were obtained from these wastes. By determining some physical-mechanical and thermal properties of these briquettes, it has been tried to determine the possibilities to be used as an alternative energy source. Dried (10%) tomato stems were ground to 10 mm particle size and briquetted at pressures of 80, 160, and 240 MPa. Briquette densities varied between 1017.04 and 1223.26 kg.m-3. The highest briquette mechanical durability and shatter index were obtained at 240 MPa briquetting pressure with 98.22% and 98.99% values, respectively. The lower heating values of the briquettes varied between 15.28 and 16.43 MJ kg-1 and ash contents varied between 12.3% and 17.9%. Fuel briquettes produced from tomato stalk waste were found to be suitable as biofuel in terms of physio-mechanical and thermal parameters. However, the ash content exceeded the desired standards. As a result, the properties of fuel briquettes obtained from tomato stalk waste were found to be suitable as solid biofuel.